PACO 679 Pastoral Counseling Capstone

This course is designed to offer the student an asynchronous platform to gain experiential knowledge by applying and observing critical counseling skills in real-world scenarios. Through this flexible format, the student will deepen his or her understanding of how theological principles and psychological insights can be integrated into effective pastoral counseling practices.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

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Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will engage in two Discussions with his or her classmates. These discussions are designed to foster a scholarly community of learning, where each participant engages in meaningful dialogue, contributes original insights, and expands his or her understanding of the coursework through critical reflection and academic discourse. The student has the option to share his or her thread as a video (3–5 minutes) or in written format (300–500 words). For the student’s response, he or she should aim to communicate clearly and engage his or her peers in thoughtful dialogue on this topic and support his or her points with evidence. If using a written response, these must be formatted in APA formatting.

The student is required to reply to at least two classmates’ threads by engaging with peers’ ideas in a meaningful, constructive manner. Each reply must be supported by at least one recent scholarly source (from within the last five years). The student has the option to share their response as a video (3–5 minutes) or in written format (300–500 words). (CLO: A)

Case Study Evaluation Assignment

In this assignment, the student will analyze the provided case studies and choose two case studies to analyze. This analysis will include applying counseling skills as demonstrated in the video series from modules one and two. The goal is to reflect on how these foundational counseling skills can be integrated with biblical principles to offer compassionate, biblically grounded pastoral care. This assignment will deepen the student’s understanding of essential counseling skills and his or her ability to incorporate these skills within a theological framework.

To support Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and honor diverse ways of expressing knowledge, the student may submit assignments in the format that best suits his or her learning and communication strengths. Whether the student prefers writing, creating a video, designing a presentation, or any other format that conveys the required content, the student is encouraged to choose what works best for him or her. This flexibility ensures that each student can fully demonstrate his or her understanding in a manner that aligns with his or her unique skills and preferences. (CLO: A, B, C)

Comprehensive Assessment Tool Selection Assignment

In this assignment, the student will apply his or her understanding of theological and psychological principles to select suitable assessments for the two chosen pastoral counseling case studies from the course. This task builds upon previous discussions on integrating theology into pastoral counseling by focusing on identifying assessments that align with a holistic and biblically informed approach. Selecting effective assessments is crucial in pastoral counseling, as it provides insights into clients’ spiritual, psychological, and relational needs and guides the direction of supportive care. This assignment emphasizes critical thinking, practical application, and sensitivity to ministry-based counseling contexts.

To support Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and honor diverse ways of expressing knowledge, the student may submit assignments in the format that best suits his or her learning and communication strengths. Whether the student prefers writing, creating a video, designing a presentation, or any other format that conveys the required content, the student is encouraged to choose what works best for him or her. This flexibility ensures that each student can fully demonstrate his or her understanding in a manner that aligns with his or her unique skills and preferences.

If submitting a written version of this assignment these guidelines should be followed: the assignment should be approximately 2–3 pages, follow APA formatting for citations and references, and include the references associated with the chosen assessments. (CLO: A, B, C)

Community Resources Assignment

This assignment will guide the student in developing a comprehensive resource list tailored to the needs of pastoral counseling clients. Community resources are invaluable for the pastoral counselor, providing support in areas outside direct pastoral care, such as housing, mental health, financial assistance, and spiritual enrichment. This list will help the student identify a range of local and online resources that can assist clients from diverse backgrounds, preparing him or her to connect clients with support networks that meet varied needs. This resource list will be utilized for the final assignment in this course.

To support Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and honor diverse ways of expressing knowledge, the student may submit assignments in the format that best suits his or her learning and communication strengths. Whether the student prefers writing, creating a video, designing a presentation, or any other format that conveys the required content, the student is encouraged to choose what works best for him or her. This flexibility ensures that each student can fully demonstrate his or her understanding in a manner that aligns with his or her unique skills and preferences.

The student should provide a minimum of 10 resources, each with a 3–5 sentence description, and using APA format for any references or citations. The student should also organize the resources by category (e.g., Mental Health, Family Support) for clarity. (CLO: A, B, C)

Creating a Care Plan Assignment

In this assignment, the student will create individualized care plans for the two case studies selected in the Case Study Evaluation Assignment. A pastoral care plan is an essential tool that outlines the strategies, resources, and counseling methods tailored to each client’s unique needs, integrating theological and psychological principles to foster spiritual and emotional growth. This assignment will help the student develop practical skills in formulating biblically-centered, clinically-informed care plans while practicing ethical and culturally-sensitive pastoral care.

To support Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and honor diverse ways of expressing knowledge, the student may submit assignments in the format that best suits his or her learning and communication strengths. Whether the student prefers writing, creating a video, designing a presentation, or any other format that conveys the required content, the student is encouraged to choose what works best for him or her. This flexibility ensures that each student can fully demonstrate his or her understanding in a manner that aligns with his or her unique skills and preferences.

If submitting a written version of this assignment these guidelines should be followed: each care plan should be approximately 2–3 pages, totaling 4–6 pages total. Current APA format should be used for references and citations. Each care plan should be organized by sections (Goals, Interventions, Timeline) for clarity. (CLO: A, B, C)

Self-Care Plan Assignment

In pastoral counseling, maintaining personal well-being is crucial to sustaining a long-term, effective ministry. This assignment invites the student to engage in self-reflection regarding his or her professional quality of life by completing the Pro-QOL assessment, a tool widely used to measure levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Based on the student’s results, he or she will develop a self-care plan that addresses identified areas of vulnerability and leverages his or her strengths. This exercise is designed to support ethical care practices, personal spiritual formation, and resilience-building essential to pastoral counseling.

To support Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and honor diverse ways of expressing knowledge, the student may submit assignments in the format that best suits his or her learning and communication strengths. Whether the student prefers writing, creating a video, designing a presentation, or any other format that conveys the required content, the student is encouraged to choose what works best for him or her. This flexibility ensures that each student can fully demonstrate his or her understanding in a manner that aligns with his or her unique skills and preferences. The student should use APA formatting for any citations; incorporate personal reflection in narrative form. The student should also Include at least 2 scholarly sources published within the last five years to support his or her self-care strategies. These should be peer-reviewed articles related to pastoral care, self-care in ministry, or mental health. (CLO: A, B, C)

Comprehensive Portfolio Assignment

This final assignment integrates the skills and knowledge the student has developed throughout the course in analyzing case studies, identifying community resources, and designing individualized care plans. The student will apply feedback received on his or her previous assignment submissions to refine his or her work and create a cohesive pastoral care project. Additionally, this assignment requires the student to demonstrate critical thinking and resource alignment by selecting 3 community resources that best support the needs of his or her chosen case studies. This culminating project is designed to help the student apply holistic pastoral care principles and demonstrate theological, psychological, and practical competencies in real-world contexts. The full project should be approximately 8 pages of content (4 per case). The student should use APA formatting for any citations, and follow a clear and organized structure throughout. The student should also incorporate at least three academic or theological sources that support his or her choices and plan for each case study. (CLO: A, B, C)

Quiz: Why Pastoral Counseling

The student will take a brief quiz detailing why he or she pursued pastoral counseling and how he or she hopes to use this degree in the future. The quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 5 multiple-choice, 1 true/false, and 1 short-answer questions, and have a 1-hour time limit. (CLO: A)

Tripp Reflection Quizzes (7)

The reflection quizzes cover the readings from the Tripp (2002) text and consist of two essay/short answer questions. When answering the essay questions, the student is required to reflect on his or her readings and apply the material to his or her experiences and to pastoral counseling. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 2 short-answer questions, and have a 1-hour time limit. (CLO: A, B, C)